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Pink Floyd - Breathe


mentalandy

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Hi, I'm having do to an analysis of this song and have a few questions.

 

I know the song revolves around a II V I progression, as does the entire album 'dark side of the moon'.

 

I know the song is in D major as I have the sheet music.

 

The verse chords are Em7 and A (chords II and V)

 

but how is the chorus progression [Cmaj7 Bm7 Fmaj7 G D7#9/D7b9] possible in D Major? I can't get my head around it.

 

thanks for any help.

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D major scale:

D - E - F# - G - A - B - C# - D

 

Chords in the song (voicings on guitar are different, but comprised of these notes) Notes that don't fit in the D major scale are in blue.:

Verse:

Em7 - E-G-B-D

A - A-C#-E

 

Chorus:

Cmaj7 - C-E-G-B

Bm7 - B-D-F#-A

Fmaj7 - F-A-C-E

G - G-B-D

D7#9 - D-F#-C-E#

D7b9 - D-F#-C-Eb

 

Since there's no practical way to have a scale that includes C and C# or F and F#, I wonder if the solution is in the modes...perhaps it shifts modally in the chorus.

 

D dorian - works with all the chords except Bm7 (and the 9th degree of the D7#9 and D7b9 chords):

D - E - F - G - A - B - C - D

D mixolydian - works with all the chords except Fmaj7 (and the 9th degree of the D7#9 and D7b9 chords):

D - E - F# - G - A - B - C - D

 

I'm just speculating, though.

 

I think I have just enough knowledge of theory to make me look like an idiot.

Brian

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A whole song does not have to be in the same key or even the same time signature. Lots of Jazz songs (Blue Bossa for instace) change keys. I won't be much help with theory, but my band does play this song and we rock it out!

 

I think our lead guitar player solos blues in E over the verse chords, so I'll bet that part is in the key of Em, not D. Then he follows David G's slide part during the chorus. I don't know what scale or key he's in, but I'll venture a wild guess: The song changes to the Key of G. Try playing the E Natural Minor (blues) scale over the chorus. Does it work? If so, what they've done is change from the key of Em to G. The E Natural Minor scale is the same as the G major scale, so you can keep soloing along the same scale, but it sounds bluesy in one key and majory in the other. That's because Em is the relative minor key to G (and vice versa). If you're writing a song in G and you need a bridge or chorus, the first chord to try is Em. Try it out for yourself. I might be a huge idiot, and I don't have a guitar with me to check it out. When my band plays it, I sing and play an acoustic guitar with a phaser. Good luck!

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  • 8 years later...
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Hi there. The chorus progression: Cmaj7 Bm7 Fmaj7 G D7#9/D7b9, in D major, in grade terms is: VII a half step down, VIm7, III a half step down, IV, I (or varations from it).

It is somewhat typical of some blues based songs i have seen to use one or both of VII and III a half step down, basically turning blue notes 7th and 3rd into chords. Examples of this abound for example in JJ Cale songs (one step ahead of the blues), Travelling Wilburys (devils been busy). You could also interpret VII half step down as a harmonic apoggiatura to land on the VIm. And the III reduced a half step as an appogiattura of the II, which in this case is replaced by IV a similar chord also of the subdominant family.

Hope my explanation helped.

 

Now my question for you: where did you get the sheet music of Floyd? I am after that material.

 

Thanks!

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  • 5 months later...

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